Satire
by esama
Summary: Earth forgets its place and Hell rots. After long time of watching, Raito decides it's time to do something to bring things back to their natural order. Darkish, twisted AU with Hell, Heaven, demons and offscreen angels.


**Satire**

It was perhaps rather ironic that Raito of all people considered himself righteous - which was a fact several of his kind did not forget to point out on several occasions. But still he did. He considered himself the only creature who truly understood justice and integrity in his rotten, stale world, the only creature who held them in value in the way they should've been held, the only creature who knew their true worth and meaning.

And he knew exactly what the others thought of him and why exactly they considered it ironic that he of all creatures thought like this. It spurned both from the world around them and from Raito's stature, personality and way of acting. After all, usually righteousness had no place in Hell, usually demons of Raito's level did not bother with anything but their duty, usually his sort of personality bothered with nothing but manipulations and games, and usually a being known for ruthlessness and cruelty like Raito did not strike as a demon capable of justice.

It was matter of the point of view and ideology. Justice and righteousness did not mean mercy - and he was the least merciful demon in Hell. Unlike some lower demons Raito never had any pity for the souls who lay at his feet, begging him, telling him that they were innocent, that their place was not in Hell. He had no patience for the endless stream of assurances that there had been mistake and the souls under his vigilant watch belonged into Heaven.

He didn't play favourites like some demons did as they picked their pet souls from the bunch and made things… easier for them. No, Raito was not like that. Sometimes he did get a great amount of amusement and satisfaction from playing with these pitiful souls, but he knew better than to bother listening and he never made things easy for them. There was not a single innocent soul in Hell.

But there were plenty of guilty souls in Heaven. And that pissed him off like, well, Hell. That and the codes of Heaven, the statures the rules, the laws, unwritten but there, constantly weaving a web over the mankind. Heaven had long ago made it so that they had the first pick on human souls - and Heaven was merciful to the point of ridiculousness.

Raito knew that plenty of murders and robbers and rapists who rightly belonged in Hell had gone to Heaven instead. And the way it was decided was the most absurd thing of all. Emotions, human emotions. If a murderer regretted, felt guilty, wanted to repent… they could get into Heaven. It was ludicrous. Of course they all regretted, of course they wanted to repent when they realised that there was possibility of eternal suffering. Almost every single soul that sinned did.

Because of the whole remorse thing, more and more souls went to Heaven each decade. True the fact that human populations were expanding in alarming rate in Earth had something to do with it - but when the amount of souls that came to Hell remained the same year after year… even an idiot could see that there was something slightly wrong with the numbers.

About fifty six million people died per year these days. _Fifty six million_. Normally Hell got a certain, semi steady percentage of those souls that died, but in the last decades the percentage had grown smaller and smaller until it was fraction of a fraction - and decreasing. Fifty six million per year. How many did Hell get? Few thousand.

Despite evidence to the contrary, math wasn't overly popular in Hell. Only few demons of relative intelligence had realised that the statistics were falling - or staying unnaturally steady, depending what you were counting. Raito was one of the first demons who had realised that Hell wasn't getting nearly as many souls as it should've - and over and over again he had plead the case to the higher ups… to make them change things. Thousands and thousands of souls that belonged in Hell went to Heaven, and something had to be done about it!

…but the hotshots of Hell and the head honchos of Heaven didn't do business. Especially not on matters like this.

They once had, back when Hell had been fresh and raw and burning with the brightness and fierceness that could've put sun into shame. Every soul had been a prize of a struggle between Heaven and Hell. But things had changed since then. The fires of Hell had turned dull and low with the amount of _rotting_ going around. Over the years and years and years Hell had gotten packed with souls, and unlike back in the beginning, it no longer felt like a victory to get a new soul to Hell. No. Somewhere along the way the sweet, sweet privilege Raito thrived on had turned into a _duty._ Dull, ordinary, and boring.

Hell had lost its lust and passion long ago. What Raito loved about Hell had gotten tedious for so many. He had lost count how many demons had stopped doing their duty properly in order to enjoy _entertainment_. They still did some, but not like in the beginning when the air had been sweet and ripe with continuous screams of agony. Now that never ending symphony could only be heard on areas under Raito's control - other where the screams were broken and dull and even rare.

It was loathsome, completely and utterly loathsome. This was _not_ the way Hell was supposed to be, this was not the Hell Raito loved and lusted for. Where was the ardour of his youth, the fervour, the obsession that had been all around when they had been young? Where were the wanderers, the rebelling demons who skipped off to Earth to cause catastrophe or two just for the Hell of it? Or the walkers who went to live among humans to temp the purest souls into sin…? Where was the excitement of _devastation?_

Buried somewhere underneath the corrosion and decay, possibly. And that was it. Hell was decaying. And though Raito would've loved to believe that it was decay that had reached Heaven as well, he new better. Heaven was _thriving_ of the situation. More souls in Heaven meant more angels after all, more angels meant more power, more power meant more space in their cosmic layer of existence. Hell was not so fortunate because rare human souls ever turned into demons, and Hell expanded only by the will of it's king. And the king was content sitting around doing nothing.

All of it made Raito nauseous. For years he had tried to keep his patience, his mental balance, by hoarding the souls the rest of his kind left unattended and inventing most interesting ways of torturing them, but one could shut ones eyes only for so long. Raito was done burying his head in blood and now he was looking and hating the Hell he had once loved. And, in maddening turn of events, he was actually starting to feel twinge of morbid respect for Heaven which, at least, knew how to take advantage of promising situation.

And for the first time since his very first years in Hell, back when he had been another suffering mortal soul among many, he was considering returning to Earth. That perhaps disgusted him more than anything, because it had taken him ages to claw his way to the position of power he was in now, and he was proud of it. Proud of his seat as demon lord, proud of the lands he had stolen, cheated and manipulated from others, proud of the army of demons under his control, proud of the amount souls under his heel. But that pride only went so far, he knew that. He had too sharp eyes to not see beyond his well maintained district of Hell.

Hell needed refurbishment, or reminder of the way things were supposed to be. Hell needed new souls. Hell needed new demons. Hell needed a new king to replace the incompetent idiot sitting at the no doubt dusty throne. Hell needed a shove into the lava pits. Desperately. But no one seemed to see it, no one but Raito, who had been ignoring it as long as it could in favour of his privileges and lands.

But no more. He was done with it, done with sitting still and waiting for the idiots around him to see the light, done with doing nothing and _hoping_. Hoping! What sort of demon spent their time on such frivolities?! Not him, not anymore. He was done with it all. He was done being so fucking bored.

"Takada, Mikami!!" he roared, pleased that his voice could still make his palace shudder, the flames of his district flare out and the screams intensify. Here at least the power of a demon lord was still tangible in the air. "Come to me!"

The female demon, his second most loyal, was the first to arrive, but she was never far from him. In flutter of dark shaded wings she landed on the balcony of his throne room, quickly making her way inside and hurrying to his side. Raito allowed himself a moment of satisfaction as she crumbled to her knees before him and bend to kiss his feet. "My lord," she whispered fervently before looking up to his eyes with worshipful gaze.

Raito raised his hand to stop her from saying anything more and she remained on her knees as they waited. Mikami, his most trusted, arrived to the balcony as well, his inky black wings setting neatly against his shoulders as he strode over, he too falling to his knees to kiss Raito's feet. "My lord," he whispered as Takada had. "I'm here to do your will. Whatever you wish."

Raito smiled to them darkly. Both were demons he had created, former humans just like him. Both he had broken with time and patience, tortured into insanity and then back into sanity of his liking. He could not desire for more loyal subjects - more intelligent ones, perhaps, but that was something practically unreachable in Hell. Intelligent souls were fairly rare.

"I am going to Earth," Raito said, revelling in the way they snapped their eyes up in shock. "This world is rotten and stale, drowned in its own monotony. Heaven is screwing us sideways with a blunt spear - and has been for so long that it's not even enjoyable anymore." With snort he kicked confused looking Takada out of the way and stood up. "No one notices it and if they do, they don't care. We've gotten so used to the rottenness that no one bothers to remember how glorious we used to be…"

The lord walked to the nearest window and peered down to his burning lands. Even from afar his eyes could easily pick out his demons and the souls they were torturing. His demons were still strong, proud creatures. Still. He did not like that word. "This world is screaming for chance and no one seems to be bothered to deliver," he muttered angrily, clasping the windowsill in his clawed fingers and tearing chunks of it. "So I will do it."

"Milord… go to Earth?" Mikami asked softly while Takada carefully got up and sat to her knees again. "Why not appeal your case to the king -"

"I have and the old man doesn't listen, doesn't care," Raito snorted, looking at the pair of demons over his shoulder. "No one does but me. Only I can save this world now, only I can help it…" he trailed away and scoffed. "I hoped for a long time I wouldn't need to, because mine is the only worthy district in Hell and it will no doubt fall into ruin should I leave, but… there is no viable option anymore. I will go to Earth. And I will make this world wake the Hell up."

"If milord is going to Earth, I shall go too!" the female demon said quickly before falling silent in mortification. Mikami gave her a frown for her words, but said nothing.

Raito, however, smiled. "Yes you will. Mikami, you will stay here," he said, turning to the male. "You will look after things in my stead. Takada, you will be going back and forth between Earth and Hell for me, to deliver my orders to Mikami and to bring his reports to me."

Takada nodded fervently as she lowered her head. Mikami's eyes flashed with anticipation as he lowered his head eagerly as well. "I will do as my lord wishes me, always," he said before looking up again. "But what will milord do in Earth?"

Raito sneered. "I will deliver some long awaited justice," he answered. "I have been watching Earth and truly it is as rotten as Hell is. Crime and cruelty all around, sinners thriving in every day life, murders walking free…" he chuckled softly, his heart already bounding a little harder at the though of the things he could do in Earth. "They all deserve a trip to Hell… they deserve a long stay in my house, and they deserve all the pain and pleasure I can deliver… _we_ can deliver."

Takada moaned softly and Mikami breathed in rather raggedly. Raito smirked at them with satisfaction. "Heaven and Hell both have left Earth alone for centuries and centuries and in our absence humans have forgotten their place," he said, walking to the two and crouching before them with glint in his eyes. "And god has long since forgotten them. So I will give them a new god. A better god. A _righteous_ god who will deliver them into world they _justly_ deserve."

He chuckled softly at the hazy look in Takada's eyes and the burning lust in Mikami's. "I will create a new world. A better world. Earth and Hell both… I'll restore rightful order to Hell and rightful law to Earth," he murmured, watching as they collapsed under the words, writhing in the floor in pleasure. He had created them well, he mused with satisfaction. The very thought of their lord getting more power had them shivering with pained ecstasy.

The demon lord chuckled almost fondly and spoke again. "This should be interesting, don't you think?" he asked, reaching out to touch Takada's shivering wings and to stroke his long nailed fingers over the smoothness of Mikami's cheek. "Not just for me but you as well… you will be the first to see and realise the change I will bring… the worlds I will create…"

"Yes… yes…" Takada whimpered under his touch, reaching out for Raito's feet again. "Milord…"

"My lord… what will you do… when you get to Earth?" Mikami gasped out as he tried to gather himself on the floor. He was leaning to Raito's touch with almost feverish look about his eyes. "How will you…?"

For a moment Raito amused himself by watching the wanton twitching of Mikami's wings before reaching out and running his claws through the man's long dark hair almost gently. He knew what his servant was asking. Demon powers didn't work properly on Earth - Earth was too close to Heaven for demons to be completely at ease there. There were also several locks and rules in place on Earth that kept demons and angels from interfering… too much. Because of that Raito simply wouldn't be as powerful on Earth as he was in Hell.

"A Shinigami owes me a favour," he said, releasing his servant's hair and thinking of Ryuk. It had been few decades since they had met the last time, but he doubted Ryuk had forgotten him. Not after what he had done for the death god. "It's high time I collect what he owes me. And then, with the tool of Shingami in my disposal, I will go to Earth…"

The demon lord allowed his voice to fade and smiled. He could already see what he could do, what he would be able to accomplish. Things demons had only dreamed off in their glory days, things they had forgotten, things they rightly should still crave. He would show them. He would show them _justice_ and the passion Hell had forgotten. He would make them remember what it meant to be a demon. And what, ultimately, it meant to be a human.

Oh yes. It would be a sweet war he would wage.

-

The whole God and Raito-with-wings thing got into my head, I just had to reverse it. My apologies.


End file.
